Welcome to soggy Manitoba

This year's massive flood will affect campers, cottagers and beach-goers well into the summer

Hey there, time traveller!This article was published 20/5/2011 (2280 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Hundreds of Manitobans are still living behind sandbag walls this weekend, but in the weeks ahead thousands of others will find out for themselves what this year's flood is all about.

The 2011 flood will affect beach-goers, cottagers and occasional visitors to The Forks, where the River Walkway will likely be under water well into the summer.

DAVID LIPNOWSKI / THE CANADIAN PRESS

This year’s massive flood will affect campers, cottagers and beach-goers well into the summer

TOM THOMSON / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES

Jim Ludlow takes a photo in 2009 of his daughter Fiona jumping off the dock at Coney Island into the waters of Lake of the Woods while friend Nicole Brownlee looks on.

River and lake levels will be far above normal throughout most of July.

"It's going to have a very significant impact on our lakes," Emergency Measures Minister Steve Ashton told a recent flood briefing. "And you're not going to see The Forks (walkway) for a while, I tell you that."

Lake Manitoba and Lake Winnipeg are already above regulated levels and many smaller lakes such as Oak Lake and Pelican Lake in western Manitoba are at levels higher than they've been in decades.

Lake Manitoba, filled up by the Portage Diversion, is expected to crest in mid-June. Lake Manitoba eventually flows into Lake Winnipeg, which is expected to crest in mid-July.

Lake of the Woods and the Winnipeg River are also high. Forecasters in Ontario say lake levels are already well above normal for this time of year.

Except for some notable exceptions, provincial campgrounds are open. "For the most part, it's going to be business as usual this weekend," said Elisabeth Ostrop with the Manitoba Parks branch.

Some provincial campgrounds, such as the lower campground at Kiche Manitou in Spruce Woods Provincial Park, will not open until close to the August long weekend. Lundar Beach, St. Ambroise and Watchorn parks on Lake Manitoba are closed for the season because of flooding.

On the first day of camping reservations in April, a record 13,995 sites were booked. Ostrop said if your favourite campsite is closed, there are plenty in Manitoba from which to choose.

For the third consecutive year, entry into Manitoba's provincial parks is free.

On the sand beaches of Lake Winnipeg -- what's left of them following last October's "weather-bomb" storm -- it will be a challenge to pitch an umbrella or lay down a towel on days when even a slight north wind pushes the water up.

There are also some changes to two popular beaches at Victoria Beach. A rock wall, or a revetment, now takes up part of Arthur and Patricia beaches. On nearby King Edward and Alexander beaches, a wall of large black sandbags, reinforced with rocks, hugs the base of cliffs. The revetment and the sandbags were recently put up to protect against further erosion caused by large waves. Both these and other, similar projects in the south basin of Lake Winnipeg were constructed to guard the shoreline against big waves washing away private property.

For example, West Beach is closed as work continues at rebuilding the boardwalk destroyed in last October's storm.

Dikes in the south basin to protect homes, cottages and roads from flooding have also been shored up.

Ashton said while most lakes in southern Manitoba are at flood stage, in northern Manitoba it's just the opposite.

"When I travel through my area and in the north, we've had below-normal precipitation," he said. "Many of our lakes are fairly low. We could be ending up with floods in southern Manitoba and forest fires in northern Manitoba."

Lake of the Woods

It's forecast to be at one of its highest levels in years, depending on rainfall over the next few weeks.

The lake level is estimated to hit 1,061 feet above sea level (323.4 metres) at the end of June, one of the highest levels since 1945. The lake's highest recorded levels before that were in 1950, 1941 and 1927.

The Lake of the Woods Control Board has already increased the amount of water discharged from the lake from the Norman Dam into the Winnipeg River. The Winnipeg River empties into Lake Winnipeg at Traverse Bay.

Provincial campgrounds

Mantario Hiking Trail, Whiteshell Provincial Park

The trail is closed due a severe wind storm last July that knocked down trees, blocking 40 of its 63 kilometres. High rainfall hampered cleanup last year and this year Conservation Department workers have been seconded to fight the flood.

Spruce Woods Provincial Park

Kiche Manitou lower campground in Spruce Woods Provincial Park will remain closed until at least July 28, affecting 121 camping spots. Flooding this spring also damaged the park office and the concession area. The Spirit Sands and Devils Punch Bowl, two primary attractions, are currently inaccessible. A trailer now serves as the park office. Camping is still available at higher levels.

Lake Manitoba area campgrounds

Campgrounds at Lundar Beach, St. Ambroise and Watchorn provincial parks are closed for the season due to high water levels.

Grand Beach Provincial Park

Camping is unaffected. West Beach is currently closed due to reconstruction of the boardwalk following last year's storm.

Duck Mountain and Turtle Mountain parks

Some campgrounds in these parks may be partially closed at the moment because of a late snowfall.

William Lake Provincial Park

Portions of all trails are under water and impassable at the moment. No boat docks are in place due to high water levels.

The Forks River Walkway

The level of the Red River at James Avenue on Thursday was 17.74 feet. The normal summer water level at James Avenue is about seven feet. This means the Assiniboine and Red Rivers have to come down close to 10 feet for the walkway to be above water.

Prohibition on boating

The Winnipeg Police Service river patrol unit has issued an order prohibiting boating on the Red, Assiniboine and Seine rivers within the city because of high river levels and strong currents. This prohibition includes all power and paddling vessels. No one can say when the ban might be lifted.

River events

High river levels have kept adult and school-aged dragon boaters involved in the River City Dragon Boat Club off city waterways this year. They've been practising at an Island Lakes retention pond at De La Seigneurie Boulevard and Dockside Way. The River City Dragon Boat Festival is June 10 to 12, when adult teams race to raise money for the Health Sciences Centre Foundation, and the school teams race to raise money for Kidsport. More than 1,925 paddlers expected to be involved in this year's event.

River cruises

The MS River Rouge big-boat cruises are on hold. The ship, docked in Lockport, can't traverse the locks at St. Andrews until the Red River drops. The best scenario is that cruises will begin in early June from a temporary dock in Winnipeg.

Water bus

High river levels prevented the nine-stop Splash Dash River Tours water bus from operating last year and the outlook doesn't look great for this year, either. Business owner Gord Cartwright said he will begin his half-hour historic tours as soon as the police lift their ban on boat traffic.

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